The Ultimate Game Master
by Tuxedo Mark
Summary: Captain N: The Game Master Takes place after the cartoon series. This story is dated 191997 9:50 AM and is different than the final version in Changes. Mike and Lana are meaner.


Captain N: The Game Master  
  
Book # 1:  
  
The Ultimate Game Master  
  
Written By  
  
Mark Moore  
  
  
  
For Mandi,  
  
Who's about the only person I know  
  
who likes Captain N as much as I do!!! :-)  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Everyone laughed as they watched the viewscreen. Mother Brain, King  
Hippo, and the Eggplant Wizard were being chased through the cellar of  
Baseball World.  
  
"Well, looks like Mother Brain is batting a thousand in that game!"  
Kevin said, laughing.  
  
"So did we, good buddy. So did we." Bo said, and they did a high-five.  
  
Lana continued laughing as she pressed some buttons. "There."  
  
"What did you do?" Kevin asked, still smiling.  
  
"I just sealed every warp zone leading into and out of the cellar. So  
now they won't be able to get out!" Lana said cheerfully.  
  
Kevin smiled brightly. "Hey, you know what that means?! We won! The  
N-Team's defeated Mother Brain!!!"  
  
Lana gasped, standing up and facing Kevin. "That's right!"  
  
"I always knew we would win!" Simon added.  
  
"We should have a feast and celebrate!!!" Mega Man added.  
  
"Oh, we'd be honored if you'd join us, Mr. Jackson!!!" Lana exclaimed,  
facing the baseball player.  
  
"I'd like to, but Bo knows time, and it's about time I got back to  
Baseball World for practice."  
  
So, after shaking hands with everyone, Bo went back to his own world.  
  
Afterwards, the N-Team got everything ready for a celebration.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Later that evening, Kevin, Lana, Simon, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy  
were all gathered in the corridor near the front doors of the Palace.  
Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy looked the way they usually do. Lana was  
wearing a beautiful pink dress, Kevin, a white suit, and Simon, a gray suit  
and a white wig on his head.  
  
Outside, there was a huge crowd gathered, with more people arriving every  
second.  
  
"Oh, Kevin, you don't need to wear those." Lana said, pointing at Kevin's  
Power Pad and Zapper, which he also had on, clashing with his suit. "There's  
no danger."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kevin said, smiling. He took them off and  
went and put them in his room.  
  
When Kevin returned, Lana held out her left hand. "Ready?"  
  
Kevin nodded. "You bet!" He took Lana's left hand in his right.  
  
All of them started walking to the front door.  
  
"This is a great idea, Lana - inviting everyone in Videoland to the  
celebration!" Kevin said.  
  
"Well, it seemed appropriate." Lana said. "Besides, what better way to  
celebrate Videoland's freedom than with a big party?!"  
  
"You won't hear any argument from me!" Kevin answered.  
  
"Simon, are you sure everything's ready?" Lana asked, looking to her  
right at the white-wigged vampire hunter.  
  
"Fret not, Your Loveliness. The food and refreshments are on the tables  
in the banquet hall, the band is setting up their instruments, and your  
message announcing Videoland's freedom has been broadcast to every video  
world."  
  
"I know that, Simon. I took care of that myself. I wanted to make sure  
people actually knew there was a party." Lana came back.  
  
Kevin laughed at that, and Simon frowned at the Game Master's laugh.  
  
The N-Team walked outside. They were overcome at the sight of all the  
people gathered outside. Everyone started cheering at the N-Team.  
  
"Man! From the looks of it, there are people standing all around for  
miles!!!" Kevin yelled.  
  
Lana smiled. "Yeah, and that's not even one percent of the population of  
Videoland!!!"  
  
Kevin's mouth hung open.  
  
Lana started to wave at the crowd, then looked at the rest of the N-Team  
and frowned. "Wave, you guys!"  
  
They all waved at the crowd, which caused them to cheer even louder. The  
sound was deafening. Finally, after about a minute, they quieted down, low  
enough for Lana to speak:  
  
"Welcome, one and all, to our victory celebration! Please, come in and  
enjoy the party!" Kevin whispered in her ear, then Lana added: "Single-file,  
please!"  
  
Kevin laughed, looking at her. "That's so we don't get squashed!"  
  
The N-Team let the guests enter the Palace. Lana watched them go in, then  
looked at Kevin worriedly. "I hope we have enough room!"  
  
Kevin listened to her, then looked straight ahead. "Billy!"  
  
Bayou Billy, the hero of a game Kevin could never beat at home, was  
standing a few feet away with his pet alligator, Loafer.  
  
"Howya doin', Kevin?" Billy asked, shaking Kevin's hand.  
  
"Just great." Kevin said, smiling. He was happy to see his old friend.  
  
Kevin remembered how Billy had helped him out when Duke had run off into  
Bayou Land.  
  
"Sorry we're so late in getting here." Billy said. "We had trouble  
finding a place to park!" He was pointing over his right shoulder with his  
thumb to indicate the huge traffic jam in the streets.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean!" Kevin said, smiling. "We're worried about  
the Palace becoming overcrowded!"  
  
"Well, I doubt that'll happen, Kevin." Lana chimed in. "I don't think  
everybody in Videoland is gonna be here."  
  
"Well, I'll see you inside." Billy said. He looked at his alligator.  
"Loafer's hungry!"  
  
Kevin nodded. Billy and Loafer walked past them, and went into the  
Palace.  
  
"Hi, sis!" came a voice.  
  
Lana looked in the direction it came from, then smiled. "Lyle!"  
  
She ran over and hugged her brother, who was the Keeper of the Sacred  
Square on Tetris.  
  
"I'm so glad you could come!" she said.  
  
"Are you kidding? Wouldn't have missed it!" Lyle responded, smiling.  
  
Lana turned in her friends' direction. "C'mon, let's get this party  
started!"  
  
Kevin nodded happily. "I'm for that!"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The whole N-team was sitting at a long table, with Lana at the head. Lyle  
was also sitting there, and even Duke was lying underneath the table by  
Kevin and Lana's feet, enjoying a huge bowl of dog food.  
  
Then Princess Zelda of Hyrule came walking toward them, with Link right  
behind her. Both were carrying plates of food.  
  
"Lana!" Zelda called.  
  
Lana looked up at her and stood up, smiling. "Zelda!"  
  
Link put his plate down, as did Zelda.  
  
Lana hugged the Ruler of Hyrule. "Oh, I can't believe it! Videoland is  
finally free!"  
  
"Yes, it's great, isn't it?!" Zelda commented.  
  
Link pulled a chair for Zelda.  
  
"Why, thank you, Link." Zelda said, and sat down.  
  
"Anything for you, Your Highness." Link said, smiling, and then took  
the seat between her and Lyle.  
  
Lana had been polite and waited for her guests to sit down, then sat  
herself.  
  
So, they each sat in the following places at the table:  
  
Lana  
Zelda Kevin  
Link Simon  
Lyle Mega Man  
Kid Icarus Gameboy  
  
"All right, bring on the ale!" Simon announced, smiling.  
  
"Forget that!" Kevin responded.  
  
"Yeah, Simon," Lana added, "alcohol is bad for you!"  
  
Kevin opened up a carton that was on the table. "Let's have something  
healthy - orange juice!"  
  
Everyone raised their glasses. Kevin got up and served everyone,  
beginning with Lana and ending with himself.  
  
After Kevin had taken his seat and put the carton back on the table, Lana  
stood up with her glass in her left hand. "Now I ask you all to stand up and  
raise your glasses in a toast to the hero of the hour." Everyone at the  
table stood up, and Lana continued. "We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't  
for him. He has taught us to work together as a team, and he has brought us  
out of a number of tight spots before. So here's to a very special friend of  
mine: Kevin Keene, otherwise known as 'Captain N: The Game Master'!!!"  
  
Everyone at the table cheered for Kevin.  
  
Lana then tapped her glass against Kevin's. She leaned forward and kissed  
him on his right cheek. "You're a real hero, Kevin." she said softly. Kevin  
smiled.  
  
After everyone had tapped their glasses with everyone else, they all sat  
back down and drank their drinks.  
  
During the course of the meal (everyone had something different, since  
they got it from a buffet line), they talked with each other.  
  
"So, Kevin," Link asked, "how'd ya do it?"  
  
"Actually, it was Lana that did it." Kevin said. He, Lana, and the  
rest of the N-Team explained the entire event, beginning with them playing  
Baseball and ending with Lana sealing all of the warp zones into and out of  
the Cellar of Baseball World, trapping Mother Brain, King Hippo, and the  
Eggplant Wizard inside. They didn't leave out a single detail.  
  
"That's some story!" Link said when they were finished.  
  
"Yeah," Lyle added, "I wish my life could be as exciting!"  
  
Kevin laughed. "Nothing much happened since the last time we visited  
Tetris?"  
  
Lyle shook his head. "Nope, things have been pretty quiet."  
  
Kevin nodded.  
  
Lana stood up, again holding her glass of orange juice in her left hand.  
"Now I'd like to propose another toast."  
  
Everyone at the table stood up again.  
  
"To my father, King Charles of Videoland. May he someday return home  
safely."  
  
"To King Charles!" everyone else said, and they all tapped their glasses  
with each other again.  
  
When they had all sat back down again, Zelda brought up a question: "So,  
Captain N, what are you planning on doing now that Mother Brain has been  
defeated?"  
  
The question took Kevin by surprise. "Uh, I dunno. I . . . haven't really  
thought about it, to tell you the truth."  
  
And that was true: he really hadn't thought about what he was going  
to do.  
  
"Well, are you planning on going home, staying in Videoland, what?" she  
asked.  
  
Kevin opened his mouth to respond, but found that he had nothing to say.  
What could he say?  
  
Just then, a voice announced: "And here they are: The Blockheads!!!"  
  
Everyone in the room started cheering.  
  
The Blockheads were the best band on Tetris. They were on stage with  
their instruments, which were block-shaped, of course.  
  
They started to play "Block Party", which went to the tune of "Rock  
Around The Clock". The N-Team recognized it from the first time they saw The  
Blockheads perform on Tetris.  
  
Kevin was only vaguely aware that it was being played, however. He was  
still thinking about what he was going to do now.  
  
Kevin was startled out of this state when Lana suddenly grabbed his right  
arm and pulled him up on his feet. "C'mon, let's dance!"  
  
Kevin and Lana went out onto the dance floor and danced.  
  
Link turned towards Zelda and held out his left hand. "May I have this  
dance, Princess?"  
  
Zelda giggled. "Of course, Link."  
  
He took her right hand in his left, and then they got up and went and  
danced.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Early the next morning, just as the sun was rising, Lana came into the  
living room and saw Kevin sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.  
  
Both Kevin and Lana were wearing their normal clothes again.  
  
Duke was standing there looking at him. The canine had a worried look on  
his face.  
  
Duke went over to Lana and started making sad, worried moans.  
  
Lana squatted down and stroked him. "Yeah, I know, Duke. I'll go talk to  
him, okay?"  
  
Duke nodded.  
  
Lana stood up and looked at Kevin, but still speaking to Duke: "Go help  
yourself to something in the fridge."  
  
Duke walked off towards the kitchen.  
  
"Kevin?" Lana asked with concern in her voice, taking a step forward.  
  
Kevin looked up and turned around to face her.  
  
Kevin sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what to do, Lana."  
  
"Do you wanna talk about it?"  
  
Kevin nodded.  
  
Lana went over and sat next to Kevin, on his right.  
  
Kevin looked at her. "I mean, I miss my friends, and my parents,  
but . . . I would miss you guys, too. Especially you, Lana."  
  
Lana smiled gently. "I would miss you, too, Kevin. We all would. Maybe  
even Simon!"  
  
Kevin laughed, and Lana joined in.  
  
After they stopped, Lana placed her left hand on Kevin's right shoulder.  
"Take all the time you need to think this over, Kevin. It is a big  
decision, after all."  
  
"Yeah." Kevin agreed. "I mean, if I go through that warp zone, my memory  
will be wiped. I'll forget everything about my trip to Videoland."  
  
Lana's facial expression turned from one of concern to one of sadness.  
  
Kevin continued: "The last thing I'll remember is playing my video games  
and my mother telling me to clean up my room. I'll probably look in the  
mirror and freak out when I find out I've aged almost three years!"  
  
Lana thought for a moment before responding. "It's your decision, Kevin."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, on Mega Land, Dr. Wily was in his lab deep inside Skull  
Castle.  
  
Dr. Wily was working on a machine, his latest invention.  
  
He smiled as he finished the final modifications. "Finally! It's  
finished!"  
  
He put his tools on a nearby table, then went over to a control panel and  
pressed a button. "Guts Man, Elec Man, report to my lab."  
  
About a minute later, the two Robot Masters ran in.  
  
"You called for us, Dr. Wily?" Guts Man asked.  
  
Dr. Wily pointed to a spot directly in front of a closed chamber, which  
was a part of his invention. "Stand right there in front of that chamber."  
  
Guts Man gave a salute with his right hand. "Yes, sir!"  
  
Guts Man and Elec Man went and stood in front of the chamber, with Guts  
Man on Elec Man's right.  
  
Dr. Wily nodded and went over to the control panel on his invention.  
  
"Uh, what are you gonna do, Dr. Wily?" Guts Man asked.  
  
"A few years ago, I created a Warp Zone Shifter to try and send the  
N-Team into the Earthquake Warp Zone. But something went wrong. Someone had  
reconfigured it, and it sent me into the Landfill Warp Zone. I returned to  
California Games after the N-Team had left, and brought my Warp Zone Shifter  
back to Mega Land - or what was left of it anyway. It was a good thing I  
had saved the plans for it. It has taken me almost two years, but I have  
finally been able to reconstruct it, and improve on it! I am going to use  
it to bring someone from Earth to Videoland - one of Captain N's greatest  
enemies. After he is warped here, I will open the chamber. I want you two  
here just in case he decides to give us a little trouble. Understand?"  
  
Guts Man and Elec Man nodded.  
  
"All right." Dr. Wily said, and sat in the chair in front of the control  
panel. "I have to collect the energy needed to operate the machine first."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 4  
  
At that same time, on Earth, everything was peaceful in Kevin Keene's  
hometown of Northridge, California.  
  
In the Vincent household, Mike Vincent was playing video games in his  
bedroom - Punch-Out, as a matter of fact.  
  
Mike Vincent was eighteen years old now. He was fifteen, just like  
Kevin, when Kevin had disappeared over two years ago.  
  
Mike and Kevin used to be best friends. They hung out together, camped  
out in Kevin's backyard, and even snuck into a sleepover party of a girl  
from school back when they were in grade school.  
  
But then Mike turned into a bully, and began beating up on everyone at  
school - especially Kevin. When Kevin had disappeared, him and Mike were  
still enemies.  
  
Mike was now wearing blue jeans, sneakers, a black shirt, and a  
Northridge High jacket. He was wearing a black bandanna tied around his  
right leg to show that he was cool.  
  
Mike had just beaten the crap out of Glass Joe, and went on to Round 2.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back in Videoland, Dr. Wily was getting ready to power up the  
machine.  
  
He pressed a series of buttons.  
  
At the Mega Land Power Plant, a lot of the power that was being produced  
was being sent to Skull Castle.  
  
"Wonderful!" Dr. Wily said, smiling. "All of Mega Land's power is being  
fed into the energy tanks! The Warp Zone Shifter will have enough power to  
operate in one minute!"  
  
So, after one minute, after the four energy meters on the control panel  
were all the way up, Dr. Wily returned the plant's power distribution to  
normal as to not raise suspicion. And none was raised. No one had noticed  
any power loss on Mega Land during that one minute. No one knew anything had  
happened. Except for Dr. Wily, Guts Man, and Elec Man, that is.  
  
"All right, step two: locating subject and setting coordinates." Dr. Wily  
said. He soon had the fix he needed and set the machine to open up the warp  
zone right where he wanted.  
  
"And now - opening warp zone." Dr. Wily pressed a series of buttons.  
  
  
  
Mike had gotten past the first circuit by now - without losing a single  
match.  
  
He was just about to go on to the next circuit when the game picture  
disappeared and was replaced by static.  
  
"What the hell?" Mike wondered.  
  
Suddenly, a huge blast of cartoon-like energy shot out of the screen at  
him.  
  
He dropped his NES Advantage controller to the floor and backed away from  
the television set as quickly as he could.  
  
But the energy grabbed him and pulled him through, screaming.  
  
The next thing Mike saw was nothing. Everything was pitch black. But he  
was too scared to notice.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Done." Dr. Wily said. "The transport is completed." He turned to Guts  
Man and Elec Man. "Get ready. I'm going to open the chamber now."  
  
The two Robot Masters nodded.  
  
Mike had stopped screaming. He had noticed that it was dark. He had  
absolutely no idea where he was or how he got there.  
  
He was just about to start feeling his way around when whatever he was in  
opened. He raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the intense light.  
His eyes had become accustomed to the dark.  
  
What he saw when he lowered his arm freaked him out.  
  
Mike began to scream again. "Cartoons!!! I'm surrounded by cartoons!!!"  
  
"Quiet down!" Dr. Wily said, annoyed.  
  
Mike looked at his hands and legs. "What the hell is goin' on here?!!!"  
  
Guts Man and Elec Man each took a step forward.  
  
"What are those things?!!!" Mike screamed.  
  
Dr. Wily quickly got up and held his hand in front of the two Robot  
Masters. "No! Don't do anything yet!"  
  
Guts Man and Elec Man obeyed.  
  
"Wh - what is - wh - where -" Mike kept yelling.  
  
"Quiet down and have a seat!" Dr. Wily said. "And I'll explain  
everything to you!"  
  
Mike calmed down a bit.  
  
"Where am I?" Mike asked, crossing his arms.  
  
Dr. Wily motioned to a chair with his hand.  
  
Mike looked uncertainly at it for a moment, then went over and sat in it.  
  
Dr. Wily sat in the chair across from him, which was the one he was  
sitting in when he was operating the Warp Zone Shifter.  
  
"Now," Mike asked again. "where am I?"  
  
"You're in a place called Videoland." Dr. Wily explained. "It is a  
universe where video game characters live."  
  
Mike laughed. "Yeah, right!!!"  
  
Dr. Wily nodded. "Yeah, right! I'm Dr. Wily, and this is Guts Man and  
Elec Man." He indicated the two Robot Masters, who were watching the  
exchange with great interest.  
  
"Uh, how do you do?" Guts Man asked conversationally.  
  
"Charmed." Elec Man said.  
  
Mike looked at them and spoke to Dr. Wily: "You're not kidding, are  
you?"  
  
"No." Dr. Wily said, shaking his head.  
  
Mike turned back to face the evil scientist. It made sense: video game  
characters are cartoons.  
  
"How did I get here?" Mike asked.  
  
Dr. Wily pointed at his invention. "I used my Warp Zone Shifter."  
  
Mike looked at it for a moment, then looked back at Dr. Wily. "Why?"  
  
"I have a job for you."  
  
"What kind of job?"  
  
"I know your name is Mike Vincent, and that you are good at video games."  
  
"The best." Mike said. "So what's the job?"  
  
"You used to know a person named Kevin Keene." Dr. Wily said.  
  
The statement had surprised Mike. Where did that come from?, he  
thought.  
  
"What about him?" Mike asked.  
  
"I want you to destroy him." Wily said.  
  
"But he disappeared over two years ago!!!" Mike yelled, surprised. "You  
mean he's here?!!!"  
  
Dr. Wily nodded. "Yes. He was brought here by the Ultimate Warp Zone to  
free Videoland from Mother Brain."  
  
"From Metroid?" Mike asked.  
  
Dr. Wily nodded again. "Yes, and he succeeded in that. Actually, I'm  
kind of glad he did! With Mother Brain out of the way, I can finally do  
things my way! I'm going to conquer Videoland!!! But first, I need to get  
rid of Captain N."  
  
"Captain N?" Mike asked, confused.  
  
"That's his nickname here." Wily answered.  
  
"So all this time when the entire town thought Keene had been kidnapped  
or ran away from home, he was really in another dimension!" Mike said in  
realization.  
  
Dr. Wily nodded. "That's right."  
  
"Well how are we gonna pull this off? I mean, there's gotta be lots of  
cops around."  
  
"Authorities, yes." Wily nodded. "But don't worry, I know how to take  
care of them."  
  
Mike smiled evilly. He knew what Wily meant by "taking care" of the  
authorities. "Sounds cool."  
  
"Don't worry," Wily said. "I'll supply you with everything you need. If  
you help me with this, I'll send you back home."  
  
"Back home?" Mike asked. "Why would I wanna go back home and go to  
school when I can live in a place where I can do anything I want and blow  
away the cops when they come after me?!"  
  
Dr. Wily smiled. "All right, then how about this: after we conquer  
Videoland, I'll give you any video worlds you want to rule over? Except for  
Mega Land - that's mine!"  
  
Mike smiled again - happily, not evilly. "That's icing on the cake, and  
the cake is me killin' Keene."  
  
"So it's a deal?" Wily asked, not understanding.  
  
Mike nodded. "You bet!"  
  
They shook hands.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Kevin and Lana were eating breakfast together at the kitchen table. They  
were both having cereal and apple-cinnamon tea.  
  
"You know, I don't remember the last time we had breakfast together -  
just the two of us." Kevin said, smiling.  
  
Lana laughed a little. "It's been a while." They were silent for a  
moment, then she added: "So what do you feel like doing today?"  
  
Kevin shrugged. "I dunno."  
  
"Well, maybe we can go to some new video worlds we haven't explored yet."  
Lana suggested.  
  
"Sounds like fun." Kevin said, smiling.  
  
"Have you ever been to Skara Brae?" she asked.  
  
"That's the world from 'The Bard's Tale', isn't it?" He shook his head.  
"No, I haven't."  
  
"Wanna go this afternoon?"  
  
Kevin nodded happily. "You bet!"  
  
They finished up their breakfast.  
  
  
  
Kevin and Lana were walking through a corridor in the Palace later that  
morning when a buzzer suddenly came on. It made a loud noise. Along with the  
buzzer were red lights flashing.  
  
The two friends were startled.  
  
"There's an emergency call coming in!!!" Lana yelled.  
  
The two of them ran towards the communications room, Lana leading the  
way.  
  
When they got there, they found that Mega Man and Simon were already at  
the control panel, trying to clear up the picture on the viewscreen. Kid  
Icarus, Gameboy, and Duke were there, too, watching.  
  
"Shut that noise off! We're here already!" Lana yelled.  
  
Mega Man pressed a button on the control panel and shut the buzzer off.  
The flashing red lights died down.  
  
Lana watched the red lights die down, then looked at the viewscreen. "Do  
you know who's trying to contact us?"  
  
"No." Mega Man said, shaking his head. "But we do know that it's coming  
from somewhere on Mega Land."  
  
Kevin sighed. "I bet Wily's up to something again."  
  
"I think I've got it." Simon said.  
  
The picture on the viewscreen cleared up, and a boy was shown standing  
there. A boy Kevin knew.  
  
"Kevin! Kevin, are you there?!!!" the guy asked frantically.  
  
"Mike Vincent?!" Kevin asked, surprised.  
  
"Kevin!" Mike replied happily. "Kevin, I can't see you! I'm only  
receiving sound!"  
  
"We can see you, Mike!" Kevin yelled. "How were you able to call me  
from home?!"  
  
Mike shook his head. "I'm not home, I'm here in Videoland on Mega Land!  
Dr. Wily used some kind of Warp Zone Shifter to suck me through my TV  
screen! I don't know why he wants me, but I was able to get away from him!  
They're after me, Kevin! Wily and his robots!"  
  
"Mike - " Kevin started.  
  
"Come quickly! Please!!!" The image of Mike was suddenly replaced by  
static as he ended the transmission.  
  
Kevin turned to face Lana. "What would Dr. Wily want with Mike?"  
  
"I dunno," she answered. "but I wouldn't trust him if I were you.  
Remember almost three years ago when Dr. Wily created an android of Mike  
using your memories in order to get us to come to Castlevania so we could be  
captured?"  
  
Kevin nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, Dr. Wily might've done the same thing again." Lana said. "We  
shouldn't trust him outright. Not until we find out for sure."  
  
Kevin nodded. "All right, we'll be careful. Me, you, Simon, and Mega Man  
will go to Mega Land." he said, pointing to each person as he said their  
name. "Kid, Gameboy, Duke - you guard the Palace." he said, pointing to  
the archer, computer, and canine, respectively.  
  
"Aye, aye, Kevin-icus." Kid Icarus said, saluting with his right hand.  
  
"Acknowledged." Gameboy responded.  
  
Duke barked in agreement.  
  
Kevin turned to leave. "I'll be right back."  
  
Lana turned to face his back. "Where are you going, Kevin?"  
  
Kevin turned his head to face her. "To get my Zapper."  
  
  
  
Five minutes later, Lana, Mega Man, and Simon were standing by the warp  
zone to Mega Land. Kevin came by wearing his belt with the Power Pad  
fastened to it. His Zapper was in its holster.  
  
"All right, I'm ready." he said.  
  
Lana nodded, then went over and opened the round door covering the warp  
zone. She jumped through.  
  
Mega Man followed her. Simon went next. Then, finally, Kevin.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 7  
  
The four N-Team members arrived in a corridor in Skull Castle.  
  
They looked around.  
  
Lana sighed. "Skull Castle is huge! How are we gonna find Mike?"  
  
"We'll have to search." Kevin said. "But it's important that we stick  
together in case there's trouble." He turned to Mega Man. "You know this  
place better than any of us, Mega Man. Where do we go?"  
  
"Well, Dr. Wily is probably holding him in his lab where he can keep an  
eye on him." Mega Man said, then shook his head. "But this place has changed  
since I was last here. It's going to be difficult finding it." He pointed to  
their left. "Let's try that way."  
  
They headed off in that direction, with Mega Man leading the way, Kevin  
following, Lana right behind him, and Simon at the end.  
  
  
  
"Perfect!" Dr. Wily said, watching the N-Team on a monitor. "They walked  
right into my trap!"  
  
He turned around in his chair to face Mike, then got up and walked over  
to another monitor. Mike followed him.  
  
The monitor had the following schematic on it:  
  
_______M_________Q_______  
||  
||  
|C  
I|  
||  
-------------------------|  
GE  
_________________________|  
||  
||  
FB  
||  
|___________MV__________|  
  
"All right," Dr. Wily said, pointing at the map. "The N-Team will come  
out of this hallway. Once they're in the room, the door will close behind  
them, trapping them inside. Then, this secret door will open, and Guts Man  
and Elec Man will come out. Then Cuts Man, followed by Bomb Man. While  
they're busy battling them, Metal Man and Quick Man will come out from the  
secret doors to their left. While the N-Team is busy with my robots, we'll  
come out of the secret door to their right. You'll pretend to be my hostage.  
When Captain N looks toward us, you let him have it with this!"  
  
Dr. Wily handed Mike his very own Power Pad and Zapper.  
  
Mike grinned and took it. "Great!" He put the belt on. "It'll be a  
pleasure frying him!" He drew the Zapper and twirled it, then put it back  
in its holster.  
  
Dr. Wily nodded. "All right, let's get moving."  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you know where we're going, Mega Man?" Kevin asked.  
  
"No." Mega Man said, shaking his head.  
  
They came to a ladder leading up. Mega Man climbed up, and the rest  
followed.  
  
At the top of the ladder, they could only go one way - straight ahead.  
  
They were at the beginning of a long hallway.  
  
They started to walk down it.  
  
As they were walking, Lana started a conversation: "Kevin, what if it  
really is Mike Vincent?"  
  
"Then I'll try to help him." Kevin said.  
  
"Even after all the horrible things he's done to you?" Simon asked,  
surprised.  
  
Kevin nodded. "Yeah. He may be a jerk, but there's also some good  
inside of him. He used to be my best friend, and I'm gonna try to help him."  
  
Lana nodded understandingly. "You're a good person, Kevin Keene."  
  
Kevin smiled.  
  
  
  
After a few minutes, they saw the end of the hallway.  
  
"There's a door just up ahead." Mega Man said, pointing to it.  
  
"Do you notice that we haven't run into any of Dr. Wily's robotic  
creations yet?" Lana brought up.  
  
"Yeah, that's weird!" Kevin said, suddenly realizing it. "I wonder  
why?"  
  
"Hey! Don't question a good thing!" Simon said.  
  
When they finally reached the door, they stopped.  
  
Mega Man turned around to face them. "All right, when I touch this door,  
it'll open."  
  
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, I know. It opens the same way as in the Mega Man  
games I played back home."  
  
Mega Man nodded. "Get ready." He turned back to face the door.  
  
Kevin went and stood at Mega Man's right. He drew his Zapper and stood  
ready with it.  
  
Mega Man touched the door with his left hand. The door rose up.  
  
Mega Man and Kevin went into the room and quickly looked around.  
  
Kevin then turned around to face Lana and Simon. "It's okay, the room's  
empty."  
  
Lana and Simon walked into the room, Lana leading.  
  
"There's nothing in here." Lana commented, looking around.  
  
Just then, the door closed.  
  
Everyone turned towards the door quickly.  
  
Mega Man then calmed down and took a deep breath. He looked at Kevin.  
"It's supposed to close after you enter the room.  
  
Kevin looked at Mega Man, then looked suspiciously at the door. He walked  
over and touched it with his left hand.  
  
It didn't open.  
  
Kevin withdrew his hand from the door, then motioned at the other three  
N-Team members. "Stand back!"  
  
Kevin backed up a few steps and then fired at the door.  
  
The blast didn't do anything to it.  
  
"We're trapped!" Lana said.  
  
"You got that right!" came a voice.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 8  
  
The four N-Team members turned in the direction of the voice. Kevin and  
Mega Man had their weapons ready.  
  
A secret door opened in the wall opposite the door that they came in  
through.  
  
The voice turned out to belong to Guts Man, who came out of the secret  
door.  
  
"Guts Man!" Mega Man yelled.  
  
"And that's not all!" a second voice came.  
  
Elec Man was the next one to walk out of the secret door. He stood to  
Guts Man's left.  
  
"And Elec Man!" Kevin added.  
  
"You made a big mistake coming here!" Guts Man said.  
  
"What do we do?" Lana asked nervously.  
  
"Fight!" Kevin said. He turned to Mega Man. "You handle Guts Man. I'll  
take care of Elec Man."  
  
Mega Man nodded. "Right."  
  
Mega Man went and fought Guts Man while Kevin went and took on Elec Man,  
firing with his Zapper when he could, and dodging Elec Man's electrical  
charges with his Power Pad.  
  
Since Guts Man didn't have any blocks to throw at Mega Man, Mega Man got  
some good shots off, hitting Guts Man repeatedly.  
  
Kevin, meanwhile, had his hands full dodging Elec Man's blasts and  
shooting him. Kevin hadn't been hit yet. He had hit Elec Man a few times,  
though.  
  
Then suddenly, a secret door to the left of the one that Guts Man and  
Elec Man came out of opened, and Cuts Man came out. Then, a secret door to  
the right opened, and Bomb Man appeared.  
  
Lana gasped. "Cuts Man!"  
  
"Bomb Man!" Simon added.  
  
Lana looked at the vampire hunter. "What do I do, Simon?! I don't have a  
weapon!"  
  
"Fear not, Your Defenselessness, I'll take care of them." Simon said,  
full of ego.  
  
Simon pulled his trusted whip from his belt and ran into the fray  
screaming.  
  
Mega Man had defeated Guts Man, and began firing at Elec Man. Together,  
he and Kevin defeated the Robot Master.  
  
Simon, meanwhile, was having no luck defeating Cuts Man. Simon kept  
whipping him, to no effect.  
  
Lana, meanwhile, was running and dodging the bombs that were being thrown  
at her.  
  
Mega Man ran over and shot a bomb that was thrown at Lana.  
  
Kevin went over and started shooting at Cuts Man. Simon had stopped  
whipping because his arm was getting tired.  
  
Mega Man finally managed to defeat Bomb Man, but not without taking a few  
hits himself.  
  
As Kevin worked on Cuts Man, another secret door on the left wall opened,  
and out came Metal Man. Then, another door opened to the right of that one,  
and Quick Man emerged.  
  
"Great!" Lana said, annoyed.  
  
Kevin had just defeated Cuts Man when he turned and noticed the two  
robots.  
  
Kevin and Mega Man ran over, and Kevin took on Metal Man, while Mega Man  
handled Quick Man.  
  
Then, suddenly, still another secret door opened on the right wall.  
  
Kevin turned to look at the new intruder or intruders, and what he saw  
surprised him.  
  
"Mike!" Kevin yelled.  
  
Mike Vincent, the bully that used to beat Kevin up back on Earth, was  
walking out of the secret doorway. But he wasn't alone.  
  
Dr. Wily was with him, holding a laser gun to his back.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Lana, Simon, and Mega Man turned to look at the visitors.  
  
Just then, Metal Man fired a Metal Blade at Kevin.  
  
Lana ran over to Kevin. "Kevin, look out!!!"  
  
She pushed him down to the ground, landing on top of him. Kevin's Zapper  
was knocked out of his hand, and landed on the floor.  
  
Mega Man turned and defeated Metal Man with one blast. He did the same to  
Quick Man.  
  
Lana got up off of Kevin, crouching down and looking at him. She put her  
hands on his shoulders. "Are you all right, Kevin?"  
  
Kevin nodded. "Fine." he said, clutching his left shoulder with his  
right hand. He had landed on it when he hit the floor.  
  
Lana helped him to his feet.  
  
The four of them looked at Mike and Dr. Wily.  
  
"Don't move!" Dr. Wily warned. "Or your friend, Mike, here, gets it!"  
  
Kevin's jaw dropped. It looked to him like Dr. Wily was serious.  
  
"Kevin . . . help!" Mike said. He sounded scared.  
  
"Let him go, Wily!" Kevin yelled.  
  
Dr. Wily shook his head, smiling. "Oh, I don't think so, Captain N." He  
laughed evilly.  
  
Kevin suddenly picked up his Zapper off the floor. He pointed it at Wily.  
  
"Drop it!" Kevin demanded. A few seconds later, he pressed the trigger.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
"Huh?" he asked to himself, surprised.  
  
He looked down and checked the power meter that ran across the top of his  
Power Pad. All the lights were off.  
  
"Oh, no, I'm out of power!" he yelled.  
  
Mega Man ran forward to fire. Dr. Wily fired first. The blast threw Mega  
Man back. He landed pretty hard on the floor.  
  
Kevin watched Mega Man get thrown back, then returned his gaze to Wily.  
  
"What do you want, Wily?!" the Game Master asked.  
  
"This!" Wily answered.  
  
Right after Wily spoke, Mike pulled out his Zapper and fired a shot at  
Kevin. Mike had kept his Power Pad and Zapper concealed underneath his  
shirt, which he had pulled out of his pants for that sole purpose.  
  
The blast definitely caught Kevin by surprise. He didn't even realize  
what had happened until after he had been thrown to the floor.  
  
Lana gasped. "Kevin!" She knelt next to him.  
  
Lana looked at Kevin and felt his right hand. "Kevin," she whispered,  
"can you hear me?" She then started crying, and she laid Kevin's hand on his  
chest.  
  
She looked up at Mike angrily. "How could you?!!! You killed him!!!"  
  
Mike grinned.  
  
"And you're next!" Dr. Wily yelled. He fired at her.  
  
Lana saw the blast coming. She used her quick reflexes to lift her crown  
off of her head and reflect the blast back at Wily, who was hit by it and  
thrown to the floor.  
  
Mike watched Wily fall, then turned towards Lana and fired his Zapper.  
  
Lana reflected this back as well. Mike was hit, and he fell to the  
floor. She put her crown back on her head.  
  
Lana picked up Kevin's Zapper, which he had dropped when he was hit, and  
holstered it in her skirt.  
  
She turned to Simon. "We've gotta get them to Dr. Right's lab! C'mon,  
Simon, help me carry them!"  
  
Simon ran over and picked up Mega Man, while Lana picked up Kevin and  
carried him over her right shoulder.  
  
Simon did the same for Mega Man.  
  
Lana used her left hand to activate Mega Man's transporter.  
  
The four of them disappeared.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 10  
  
They appeared on a lift in Dr. Right's laboratory. It lowered them down  
to the floor like an elevator.  
  
"Dr. Right!" Lana called.  
  
The scientist was in the room, and had seen them warp in. He ran over to  
them. "What happened?!"  
  
Lana walked swiftly over to a metal table and gently laid Kevin down on  
it. "They were hit - hard! You've gotta do something, Doc!"  
  
Simon had lain Mega Man on the metal table to the left of Kevin's.  
  
Dr. Right quickly hooked Mega Man and Kevin up to life supporters. "That  
should keep them stabilized - for now." He turned to Lana. "What  
happened?"  
  
Lana explained as Dr. Right began running tests. "Dr. Wily brought an old  
enemy of Kevin's from Earth. His name is Mike Vincent. Him and Mike are  
trying to kill Kevin. Mike was able to lure us to Skull Castle, and then  
Wily hit Mega Man with a laser gun, and Mike hit Kevin with a Zapper just  
like his, only I think it was much more powerful, from the looks of the  
blast. They would've hit us, too, but I deflected the blasts back at  
them with my crown." She looked up at the monitors displaying Mega Man and  
Kevin's health statistics. "Will you be able to save them, Doc?"  
  
"Well, it looks as though Mega Man took the most serious damage, which  
means that Wily's laser gun was more powerful than Mike Vincent's Zapper."  
  
"Hmph, it figures." Lana said. "It's just like Dr. Wily to give his own  
fighters a less powerful weapon than he has."  
  
"It's the way he keeps control over them." the scientist said. "It's his  
assurance that nobody gets out of line."  
  
Lana looked up at the monitors again. "It looks like Kevin's getting  
better already!"  
  
Kevin began to groan, and Lana crouched down and leaned on the table.  
  
"Kevin?" she asked.  
  
Kevin opened his eyes and turned his head towards her. "Hey, Lana, what's  
shakin'?" he asked with a smile.  
  
Lana laughed. "Not much, only that your friend, Mike, turned against  
us, that's all."  
  
Kevin thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah." he said wearily, then he smiled  
at her. "Hey - nice acting!!!"  
  
Lana laughed. "Thanks." Then she sighed. "Poor Kev, you look  
exhausted!" She stood up and held out her hands to Kevin. "C'mon, let me  
take you back to the Palace. You need some rest!"  
  
"That'll be just fine. But I need to keep Mega Man here overnight." Dr.  
Right said to them as Kevin grabbed Lana's hands, and Lana helped him to a  
standing position.  
  
Lana nodded. "Will you be able to repair him?"  
  
"Hmm, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker." Dr. Right said.  
  
Kevin laughed at that.  
  
"But I'll try." the scientist promised. "Mega Man is partly alive,  
after all, so I'll have to not only repair his mechanical systems, but his  
biological ones, as well. I'll keep you informed."  
  
Lana nodded again, then she helped Kevin to the warp zone back to the  
Palace. They stepped through it, with Simon following.  
  
After they were gone, Dr. Right went back to running his tests on Mega  
Man's systems.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"What were you laughing at back there?" Lana asked as they emerged in the  
Palace of Power.  
  
The two friends walked towards the living room as Simon went in another  
direction.  
  
"Oh, it's from Star Trek." Kevin said. "It's a show I watched back home."  
  
Lana recognized the name. Kevin had mentioned it to her once before: the  
time Simon lost his memory.  
  
"What's it about?" Lana asked, curious.  
  
"It takes place in the 23rd Century." Kevin said. "The Earth is united,  
and is a member of the United Federation of Planets. There is an  
organization called Starfleet. It's mission is 'to boldly go where no man  
has gone before'. Of course, the show was made in the '60s. Now, on the new  
show, Star Trek: The Next Generation, they say 'to boldly go where no one  
has gone before'."  
  
Lana smiled. "That's better."  
  
"Anyway, Starfleet has a whole bunch of ships. It's not a military  
organization. It's purpose is exploration. The ship featured on the  
original series was the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701. The Captain was a young  
man named James T. Kirk. The ENTERPRISE's Chief Medical Officer was Dr.  
McCoy. And a line he often used when he was asked to do something was 'I'm a  
doctor, not a' whatever, ya know?"  
  
Lana laughed. "So that's why you laughed!"  
  
"Well, yeah, that and also, the Chief Engineer was Montgomery Scott, or  
'Scotty', as he's popularly known as. The crew of the ENTERPRISE called him  
the 'miracle worker'."  
  
Lana laughed again. "Wow, so Dr. Right put two references to a show you  
watched back home in a sentence - without even knowing it!!! That's  
hysterical!!!"  
  
They arrived in the living room.  
  
"Can you tell me more about the show, Kevin?" Lana asked.  
  
"Really?" Kevin asked, delighted.  
  
Lana nodded. "Yeah." She unfastened Kevin's belt and took it. She drew  
Kevin's Zapper from her skirt. "These need a recharge. I'll be back in a  
few minutes, and then you can tell me all about the adventures of the U.S.S.  
ENTERPRISE!"  
  
Kevin smiled. "Deal!"  
  
"Now sit down and get some rest." she said.  
  
Kevin sat on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.  
  
Lana smiled and left the room.  
  
  
  
As Lana was making her way to the power restorer, she met Kid Icarus in  
one of the Palace's corridors.  
  
"Anything happen while we were gone?" Lana asked the archer.  
  
"Nope, everything's A-OK-icus." the archer replied.  
  
Lana nodded. "Fine." She paused. "But Mega Man's not fine. Mike Vincent  
tricked us. He shot Mega Man. Dr. Right's taking care of him."  
  
"I sure hope he gets better-icus."  
  
"So do I." Lana said, and then continued on her way.  
  
  
  
Lana walked into the room marked POWER RESTORER.  
  
There was a huge machine taking up the entire back wall. It was a cool  
silver color.  
  
One part of the surface of the machine resembled a disk drive, but  
without the little flap. It was in the shape of Kevin's Power Pad.  
  
_________  
||  
---------  
  
Lana unfastened the Power Pad from the belt and placed it in the slot,  
face up. She pushed it in until only the power meter was visible.  
  
There were three round colored buttons to the left of the slot,  
vertically.  
  
Lana pressed the top blue button.  
  
The machine made a humming sound and turned on.  
  
After waiting for a few seconds for the machine to warm up, Lana pressed  
the middle green button.  
  
The machine began to charge the Power Pad.  
  
Lana watched the lights on the power meter slowly turn on.  
  
Of course, only the Power Pad itself had to be recharged - not the  
Zapper.  
  
That was something Lana had noticed the night Kevin was brought to  
Videoland. Kevin had blasted through a wall on Metroid, and was no longer  
able to fire after that. The Zapper and the Power Pad had both used the same  
energy source.  
  
Later that night, Lana found out that they could use the Sun Stone that  
provided the Palace's energy to recharge Kevin's Power Pad.  
  
After all the lights were on, the recharging process stopped. Lana  
pressed the bottom red button. The machine stopped.  
  
Lana pressed the small rectangular EJECT button underneath the slot. The  
Power Pad came about a third of the way out of the slot. Lana carefully  
pulled it out and reattached it to the belt.  
  
She had already put the Zapper back into its holster after she left the  
living room.  
  
Lana left the POWER RESTORER room and returned to the living room.  
  
  
  
When she got there, she saw Kevin sitting on the couch petting Duke, who  
had come in while she was gone.  
  
"Hey." Kevin said, smiling at her.  
  
"Hey," Lana said back cheerfully, then added: "you look a lot better!"  
  
Kevin laughed. "Yeah, well, I guess all I needed was someone to cheer me  
up!" he said, looking at Duke.  
  
Duke barked happily.  
  
Lana laughed.  
  
Kevin looked up at her and smiled. "Of course, I wouldn't mind someone  
else."  
  
Lana smiled. She went over and sat next to him, on his right.  
  
"So," Lana said, playfully clapping Kevin's right thigh with her left  
hand, "tell me about this ENTERPRISE."  
  
"Well," Kevin began, "Star Trek was created by Eugene Wesley Roddenberry  
in 1964. You see, Gene . . ."  
  
Lana listened attentively and with great interest as Kevin told her about  
this phenomenon. Even Duke listened. He understood what Kevin was saying. He  
just couldn't reply with human language.  
  
Kevin told her about 'Gene' Roddenberry's life, the lost pilot episode  
called 'The Cage' that was made in 1964, the original series that ran from  
1966 to 1970, the five movies that Kevin knew of (little did he know that a  
sixth one came out while he's been in Videoland), and, finally, The Next  
Generation.  
  
Kevin was careful not to spoil the episodes and movies for her, just in  
case she might someday watch them. He told this to her, and she understood.  
  
Kevin had always wanted Lana to come to Earth with him, and Lana, having  
developed a fascination with Kevin's world from his descriptions of it,  
wanted to go, at least for a while. They didn't know if it was possible for  
her to go, or how to prevent Kevin's memory from being erased, but they  
might someday try.  
  
By the time they finished talking, it was 10:00 PM.  
  
"Well, I think I'll turn in." Lana said, getting up.  
  
Kevin stood up, too. "Yeah, me too."  
  
"I really enjoyed hearing about Star Trek." Lana said, smiling.  
  
"And I enjoyed telling you about it, Lana." Kevin replied, smiling  
back.  
  
"You notice how it's kept our minds off Mega Man?"  
  
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, wadaya know?!"  
  
Lana put her left hand on Kevin's right shoulder. "Well, get some rest.  
If Dr. Right contacts me, you'll be the first to know!"  
  
Kevin nodded. "All right."  
  
Lana nodded. "Good night, Kevin."  
  
Kevin nodded back. "Good night, Lana."  
  
Kevin thought about it for about three seconds, then leaned forward and  
kissed Lana on her lips.  
  
Lana smiled. The kiss was totally unexpected. She blushed. "Thanks."  
  
Lana walked out of the room.  
  
Kevin watched her leave, then turned to Duke. "C'mon, Duke, bedtime!"  
  
Duke was woken up by his master's voice. He whined and lazily got to his  
feet.  
  
Kevin laughed.  
  
Kevin picked up his belt off of the couch, and then Duke followed him out  
of the living room.  
  
Lana went into her bedroom. She took off her crown, hair band, earrings,  
necklace, and bracelets, and put them on top of her dresser. She then took  
off her clothes, letting them drop to the floor. She may be the Princess and  
Ruler of Videoland, but she was also entitled to be messy if she wanted to -  
something she picked up from Kevin.  
  
She then went into her bathroom, which you could only get to through her  
bedroom, and took a nice, warm shower.  
  
Even though the heating system kept the entire Palace warm during the  
winter, Lana thought January was a nice time to take a warm shower.  
  
Kevin and Duke walked into their room. Kevin shared his room with Simon.  
He saw that the vampire hunter was already asleep, so he tiptoed to his  
dresser and got out the nice long pajamas that Lana had given him. He put  
his belt on his dresser, went into the bathroom, took off his clothes, and  
took a similarly warm shower.  
  
A half hour later, Lana finished her shower. She loved warm water, and  
actually just stood there enjoying it for a while before beginning to wash  
herself.  
  
She brushed her teeth and combed her hair. She put on her deodorant,  
which was strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.  
  
Lana walked into her room and put on her nightgown, which she got off of  
the floor. She climbed into bed, pulled up the covers, laid her head on the  
soft pillow, and was soon sound asleep.  
  
Kevin went through basically the same steps: brushing his teeth, putting  
on his deodorant, combing his hair, and putting on his pajamas. But then he  
stuck his head into the bedroom.  
  
"Duke!" he whispered, careful not to wake Simon. "Come here, boy!"  
  
Duke eagerly ran into the bathroom. Kevin had to back up a bit so Duke  
wouldn't run into him.  
  
Kevin took Duke's toothbrush from its place and put toothpaste on it. He  
held it out to the canine. "Open wide, boy!"  
  
Duke eagerly opened his mouth. Kevin brushed Duke's teeth. Kevin always  
made sure to brush Duke's teeth every morning after breakfast, and every  
night before they turned in.  
  
Duke loved to have his teeth brushed. The flavor of the paste was  
great!  
  
After they were done, Kevin and Duke went into the bedroom.  
  
Kevin got into bed. "Good night, Duke!" he whispered.  
  
Duke softly barked "Good night" in dog language and lay down under  
Kevin's bed and went to sleep.  
  
Kevin pulled up the covers, laid his head on the soft pillow, and was  
soon asleep himself.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 12  
  
The next morning, Kevin and Lana warped into Dr. Right's laboratory. They  
were each wearing their usual clothes. They had to use a warp in the Palace,  
since they didn't have the benefit of Mega Man's transporter.  
  
Dr. Right was in the room, doing repairs on Mega Man. He turned around  
and saw them, nodding. "Oh, hello, Captain N, Princess."  
  
"Hey, Doc!" Kevin said cheerfully.  
  
"Is Mega Man fixed?" Lana asked.  
  
Dr. Right shook his head and sighed. "Not yet, I'm afraid. The damage was  
quite extensive. It'll be at least another few hours before he's  
functional."  
  
Lana sighed deeply, looking at Kevin. "Looks like we'll have to go to  
Mega Land ourselves!"  
  
Kevin sighed back. "Yeah, but you don't have a weapon!"  
  
Lana sighed again. "Yeah, that is a problem!"  
  
Dr. Right raised his right index finger. "Wait a minute, I may be able  
to help you."  
  
The scientist walked over to Kevin. He held out his right hand. "May I  
examine your Power Pad and Zapper, Captain N?"  
  
"Sure, Doc." He unfastened his belt and handed it over to Dr. Right.  
  
Dr. Right took the belt and went over to his work table. Kevin and Lana  
followed him.  
  
Dr. Right took the Zapper out of its holster and set it down on the  
table. He unfastened the Power Pad from the belt and laid it down on the  
table as well.  
  
He began to work.  
  
  
  
Three hours later, Dr. Right finished his work.  
  
"I'm done." Dr. Right said. He turned to face Kevin and Lana, holding a  
belt in his right hand. He raised it up for them to see.  
  
The belt was a dark black, darker than Kevin's. It had a Power Pad  
fastened to it. The Power Pad looked almost like Kevin's, except the cross  
key was a darker black, as were the two black buttons to the right of it.  
The A and B buttons were a dark, dried-blood red. The gray area of the  
surface of the Pad was silver instead, and the power meter was a neon green  
to indicate that the Pad still had energy in it. The holster was on the  
opposite side. Lana had mentioned to Dr. Right that she was primarily left-  
handed. Even though she could twirl equally well with both hands, she aimed  
best with her left.  
  
"This is for you, Your Highness." Dr. Right said. He held it out to  
her.  
  
Lana took it with both hands. "Thank you, Dr. Right!" she said with  
sincere gratitude.  
  
"My pleasure." Dr. Right said, smiling.  
  
Lana put the belt around her waist and fastened it. She walked to the  
center of the room and turned towards Kevin.  
  
Kevin winked with his left eye and gave Lana a thumbs-up with his right  
thumb. "Lookin' sharp, Lana!"  
  
"Thanks, Kevin!" Lana said, smiling.  
  
Lana took the Zapper out of the holster with her left hand. The Zapper  
was all gray, instead of gray and orange, like Kevin's.  
  
Lana twirled the Zapper expertly. She then outstretched her right arm,  
aligned the Zapper with a point on the wall, and slowly pressed the  
trigger.  
  
The Zapper released a brilliant yellow light that was almost blinding to  
Lana. She looked up as her shot hit its target dead-on.  
  
Lana looked at the weapon she held in her left hand for a moment, as if  
studying it. She then lowered her left arm, letting it drop to her side.  
  
Kevin and Dr. Right watched her in silence.  
  
Lana then turned and looked at them. She raised her arms in the air  
triumphantly. "Whoooo!!! Yes!!! Yes, baby, I love this gun!!!"  
  
Kevin and Dr. Right smiled, amused, and Lana vocalized her second  
"Whoooo!!!".  
  
Lana twirled the Zapper again and put it back in the holster. She turned  
towards Dr. Right. "Thanks, Doc!"  
  
Dr. Right gave her a smile and turned back to his work table. He picked  
up Kevin's belt and turned to face the teenager.  
  
Dr. Right held the belt out to Kevin. "And here's your own back,  
Captain N."  
  
Kevin took it and put it on. "It looks exactly the same." Kevin said,  
surprised. "I at least expected a polish."  
  
Dr. Right smiled and raised the index finger on his right hand. "It may  
look the same on the outside, but on the inside it much improved! I  
tweaked it a little, and now it's more powerful than Mike Vincent's." He  
turned towards Lana. "Or, at least, it should be, judging by the Princess'  
description of the blast that came out of his Zapper."  
  
Lana walked over to them. "I hope so, Dr. Right."  
  
"Yours is just as powerful as Captain N's, Princess, if not more  
so." the scientist assured her.  
  
"Well, we better head on over to Mega Land." Kevin said, looking at Lana.  
  
Lana nodded. "Right."  
  
The two N-Team members turned to Dr. Right. "Thank you again, Dr.  
Light!" Lana said. "Thanks, Doc!" Kevin added.  
  
"Glad to help." Dr. Right said, smiling.  
  
Kevin and Lana walked over to the warp zone that led to Skull Castle.  
  
They turned and waved good-bye to Dr. Right. The scientist waved back.  
  
Kevin and Lana then turned back and stepped through the warp.  
  
After they were gone, Dr. Right went back to repairing Mega Man.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Kevin and Lana exited the warp, finding themselves in a corridor in Skull  
Castle.  
  
"This is the same hallway we started in before!" Kevin realized.  
  
They looked around in every direction.  
  
Lana looked at Kevin. "Do you remember the direction Mega Man led us in  
before?"  
  
Kevin nodded at her. "I think so." He nodded towards their left. "That  
way."  
  
Kevin and Lana walked side by side, with Kevin on Lana's left.  
  
As they were walking, Kevin glanced at Lana's Power Pad. "So, you sure  
you know how to use that thing?"  
  
"I think so." Lana said, nodding. "I'll use it if I have to." She  
smiled. "When we get back to the Palace, you'll have to give me lessons."  
  
Kevin smiled and nodded.  
  
  
  
Kevin and Lana had climbed up the same ladder and walked down the same  
long hallway as they did before. Now, they entered the same big room.  
  
Kevin and Lana looked to their right.  
  
"They came out of a secret door on that wall." Kevin said, pointing  
with his right index finger at the wall Dr. Wily and Mike had come out of  
yesterday.  
  
"There must be a secret passage way that leads to Wily's lab." Lana  
added. "Let's blast it!"  
  
Kevin nodded, and they walked towards the wall.  
  
Kevin and Lana stopped a safe distance from the wall. They drew their  
Zappers.  
  
They looked at each other and nodded.  
  
The two of them fired at the wall. They kept their fingers pressed on  
their respective triggers.  
  
After about twenty seconds, the beams from Kevin and Lana's Zappers  
melted the wall. It created a hole large enough for them to walk through.  
  
Kevin and Lana looked at each other, then Kevin stepped forward and went  
through the hole. Lana followed him.  
  
They found themselves in a long hallway.  
  
Kevin and Lana looked at each other and shrugged. They began walking,  
this time with Lana on Kevin's left. They kept their Zappers in their hands.  
  
They reached the end of the hallway in about one minute. In front of them  
now was a closed door.  
  
"This must be Wily's secret lab." Kevin said, and reached out with his  
left hand to touch the door.  
  
"Be careful, Kevin." Lana warned him, her voice taking on a tone of  
caution.  
  
Kevin's hand touched the door. Nothing.  
  
Kevin looked at Lana. "I guess it only responds to Wily's DNA sequence."  
  
"And this!" Lana said, and with that, she fired at the door.  
  
"Hey!" Kevin yelled, and got out of the way of the beam. It had nearly  
singed his jacket.  
  
The titanium melted away, creating a large opening.  
  
Kevin looked at his friend with a bit of annoyance as she smiled at him.  
  
"Watch where you're pointing that thing, will you?! You nearly singed my  
jacket - and my arm!"  
  
"Sorry!" Lana said, embarrassed. "I guess I got a little carried away!"  
  
A little?!, Kevin's facial expression seemed to say.  
  
He looked towards the opening Lana made with her Zapper, and then both of  
them stepped through together.  
  
They stepped into Dr. Wily's secret laboratory, and the evil scientist,  
himself, was there, along with the school bully.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 14  
  
"Captain N!" Dr. Wily yelled in surprise, jumping up out of his seat.  
  
Mike Vincent appeared equally surprised, if not more so. "Keene!!! But,  
but how?! I shot you! You're supposed to be dead!!!"  
  
"If you knew anything about great captains, Mike," Lana said, "you'd  
know that legends never die!"  
  
"Well, we'll just see about that!" Mike said sinisterly. He reached  
for his Zapper.  
  
Lana fired a shot between Mike's hand and his Zapper. He pulled his hand  
away from it. Lana holstered her Zapper, as did Kevin.  
  
"Destroy them!!!" Dr. Wily yelled at Mike.  
  
Mike seriously considered it for a moment, then his face took on an evil  
grin as he thought of another idea. "No. No, I got a better idea! Just you  
and me, Keene, through a Robot Master stage. We'll just see who's the  
real Game Master!"  
  
"What are you doing?!" Dr. Wily asked.  
  
"Relax!" Mike said, glancing at Dr. Wily for a moment, then returning his  
view to Kevin. "I can beat this twirp! We both know I'm the best! How  
'bout it, Keene? Wanna try and prove me wrong?"  
  
Kevin thought for a few seconds, looking at Lana, then looked back at  
Mike. "Uh, we'll have to discuss it for a few moments."  
  
"Fine." Mike said.  
  
Kevin pulled Lana aside.  
  
"Discuss nothing!" Lana whispered. "Don't do it, Kevin! It's what he  
wants!"  
  
Kevin thought about this. "Yeah, you're probably right. He is better  
than me."  
  
Kevin looked up at Mike. Mike was standing there with his arms crossed,  
laughing at him. Mike had heard that.  
  
Kevin suddenly grew angry. He wanted to beat this bully that had  
tormented him for so long.  
  
"You're on, Mike!" Kevin yelled.  
  
Mike grinned. "Great!"  
  
"Kevin, what are you saying?!" Lana cried in disbelief.  
  
"Don't worry, Lana, I'll be all right." Kevin said without looking at  
her.  
  
"Kevin, don't let him intimidate you! You don't have to prove anything  
to him!"  
  
Kevin walked over to Mike as Mike spoke: "Okay, here are the rules: We go  
through the Elec Man stage. First one to get to the end and defeat Elec Man  
wins." Mike nodded. "Deal?"  
  
"Deal!" Kevin said, nodding.  
  
Mike laughed. "I'm gonna kick your ass, Keene!"  
  
Kevin smiled. "We'll see." He turned around and walked back to Lana. He  
placed his hands on her shoulders. He moved in close to her and whispered so  
Mike and Dr. Wily wouldn't hear. "You gonna be okay, Lana?"  
  
Lana nodded and whispered: "Yeah. Be careful, Kevin."  
  
Kevin nodded. "I will. Take care of yourself."  
  
Lana nodded. "I will." She paused, then leaned forward and kissed him on  
the lips, hugging him.  
  
Kevin smiled. "I'll see you soon." he promised her.  
  
Lana nodded, smiling, and the two of them let go of each other.  
  
Kevin walked back over to Mike.  
  
"All right, let's get this over with." Kevin said.  
  
"What's your hurry, Keene? Eager to die?!" Mike bellowed laughter.  
  
Kevin followed Mike over to a warp zone. Mike pulled the round steel door  
open.  
  
Mike jumped through, with Kevin right behind him.  
  
Both Dr. Wily and Lana had watched them go through, then they turned to  
watch the monitor that showed the Elec Man maze.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Two seconds later, Mike and Kevin materialized in the newly reconstructed  
Elec Man maze.  
  
The two opponents looked at each other.  
  
"Whoever beats Elec Man wins." Mike reminded Kevin.  
  
Kevin nodded, and the two of them set off on the race.  
  
As Kevin and Mike went through the stage, a flying camera recorded them  
and sent the video and audio back to Dr. Wily's lab.  
  
They both dodged the electric blasts and shot the monsters.  
  
When they climbed the ladders, they both got to the top at about the same  
time, but Kevin fell behind on the invisible blocks. Mike, who was an expert  
on the Mega Man games, hopped from one to the next pretty fast. Kevin nearly  
fell twice.  
  
When they got to Big Eye, Mike pressed Up on the cross key of his Power  
Pad and jumped over it. Kevin quickly pressed Right as Big Eye was about to  
stomp on him.  
  
Kevin saw Mike touch the door and go through it.  
  
"Hey!" Kevin yelled after him.  
  
Kevin used the Run button to catch up to Mike. The two of them climbed up  
the ladder leading to Elec Man's chamber. Kevin let go of the ladder,  
pressed Up, passed Mike, and grabbed hold of the ladder again.  
  
"Ha, ha!" Kevin yelled, enjoying that.  
  
Mike climbed up below Kevin. Kevin touched the ceiling, which slid open.  
  
The two of them climbed up into Elec Man's chamber. The floor closed  
underneath them.  
  
"Well, well, so glad you could come!" Elec Man said. He immediately  
started firing at them.  
  
Kevin and Mike both dodged the blasts.  
  
Kevin remembered from playing Mega Man back home that you can defeat Elec  
Man in only a few shots using Cuts Man's weapon. Of course, he didn't have  
it with him.  
  
But Mike did.  
  
Kevin saw Mike pull the Cuts Blade out of his left jacket pocket and  
throw it at Elec Man. It hit Elec Man, and then returned to Mike, who caught  
it in his left hand.  
  
"You cheating son-of-a-" Kevin started, but by then, Mike had defeated  
Elec Man, who disappeared.  
  
Mike had a smile on his face. He twirled his Zapper, stuck it back in his  
holster, and turned to face Kevin.  
  
Kevin got the creeps from the evil smile on Mike's face. The smile seemed  
to say "I won, now I'm gonna kill ya".  
  
Kevin slowly backed away as Mike came towards him.  
  
  
  
Back in Dr. Wily's lab, Lana and Dr. Wily had been silently watching the  
whole trip through the maze on the monitor.  
  
Now, Lana was watching in horror as Mike approached Kevin.  
  
Dr. Wily was, of course, enjoying this.  
  
Lana couldn't stand watching her friend be tortured any longer. She drew  
her Zapper, held the opposite end, and swung at Dr. Wily.  
  
Dr. Wily was hit by the incredible force of the handle. He fell to the  
floor, unconscious.  
  
Lana ran to the warp zone to the Elec Man maze and jumped through.  
  
  
  
"I won, now I'm gonna kill ya!" Mike said as Kevin looked at him in  
terror.  
  
"No, you're not!" Kevin yelled. He pointed his Zapper at Mike and  
pressed his trigger.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Kevin looked down at the power meter. "Oh, no, not again!"  
  
Mike chuckled. "You haven't been very lucky with that thing recently,  
have you?!" He pulled out his Zapper again and pointed it at Kevin.  
  
"Mike," Kevin said, "c'mon, man, you aren't really gonna do that, are  
you?"  
  
Mike didn't say anything. He just kept coming towards Kevin, and Kevin  
kept backing away from him.  
  
"Mike, c'mon, we used to be friends! Remember that time we camped out  
in my backyard in sleeping bags?"  
  
  
  
Lana was rapidly making her way through the Elec Man maze.  
  
She didn't have the nerve to try and jump over Big Eye, like she'd seen  
Kevin do before, but she got past it by running and dodging.  
  
She touched the door. It opened, and she went in.  
  
Lana started climbing.  
  
  
  
"Mike," Kevin said with great fear in his voice, "you don't have to do  
this. Dr. Wily is evil," He shook his head. "but you're not. I know you,  
Mike. I know you're a good person deep down inside. We . . . we used to be  
friends, remember? Mike, I'd like us to be friends again! Forget about  
Dr. Wily! Come back to the Palace with us! You can be a member of the  
N-Team! Mike, . . . please! Please don't kill me!!!"  
  
Mike had Kevin backed into a corner with nowhere to go.  
  
Mike smiled. "Bye-bye, asshole!!!"  
  
"Drop it!!!" Lana yelled, coming up behind him.  
  
Mike whirled to face her.  
  
Lana had come in while Kevin was talking. Neither of them had heard the  
floor open and close.  
  
Mike saw Lana standing there. She was holding her Zapper with both hands,  
and aiming it straight at Mike's head.  
  
"Well, well, what have we here?" Mike asked, amused. He glanced over his  
shoulder at Kevin. "Hey, Keene, your girl's gonna rescue you!!!" He  
laughed.  
  
Lana shook her head. "Don't think I won't do it!"  
  
"Aw, the little girl's tryin' to be a hero!!!" Mike mocked.  
  
Lana fired at Mike.  
  
Mike dodged the blast, then looked at Lana and laughed. "Is that the best  
you can do?!"  
  
"That was a warning shot." Lana informed him. "This next one  
isn't!"  
  
Mike twirled his Zapper and put it back in its holster. He turned to look  
at Kevin, smiling. "Until next time, Keene!"  
  
And with that, Mike touched a spot on his right arm with his left hand.  
  
There was a short beep, and then Mike faded away.  
  
Kevin was surprised by this. "Huh?!"  
  
"What?!" Lana wondered.  
  
After wondering for a few seconds, Lana ran to Kevin.  
  
Kevin opened his arms and caught her. The two friends hugged, each  
enjoying the warmth of the other.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 16  
  
About a minute later, Kevin and Lana warped back into Dr. Wily's lab.  
  
"Wily disappeared, too." Lana said, noticing that the scientist was  
nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Yeah, I figured as much." Kevin replied. "Mike must've been wearing an  
emergency transporter - just in case, you know."  
  
Lana nodded, understanding. "Yeah."  
  
"He beamed himself and Wily away before anything could happen."  
  
"Where do you suppose they went?" she asked him.  
  
Kevin shook his head. "I dunno. They could be anywhere."  
  
Lana turned and noticed the huge machine taking up a whole wall. "That  
must be Wily's new Warp Zone Shifter."  
  
Kevin was looking at it too. He nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Two-way travel between Videoland and Earth." Lana said in awe. A  
disturbing thought then came to her, and she turned to Kevin. "Kevin, you're  
not thinking of . . ." She couldn't bring herself to say the rest.  
  
"No." Kevin said, shaking his head. "I admit, I was tempted. But  
somebody's gotta stop Mike. And who better than the person that knows  
him the best?!" He shook his head again. "No, I'm stayin'!"  
  
Lana smiled. "I'm glad!" she said sincerely.  
  
Kevin clapped his right hand on Lana's left shoulder. "C'mon," he nodded  
at the opening to the lab that Lana had made earlier with her Zapper. "let's  
get outta here."  
  
Lana let out a small laugh. Kevin put his right arm around Lana, and the  
two of them left the lab.  
  
  
  
They arrived in Dr. Right's lab about fifteen minutes later.  
  
The scientist walked up and greeted them. "Welcome back!"  
  
"How's Mega Man?" Lana asked anxiously.  
  
"I'm just fine, thanks!" Mega Man said as he walked into the room.  
  
"Glad to have ya back, dude!" Kevin said happily.  
  
"Thanks!" Mega Man said, nodding. Then his facial expression turned from  
happy to serious. What about Mike Vincent? Did you get him?"  
  
Lana shook her head. "No, he got away, and so did Dr. Wily."  
  
"Figures." Mega Man replied.  
  
"Thank you for fixing Mega Man, Dr. Right." Lana said with great  
appreciation.  
  
Dr. Right nodded, smiling.  
  
"Let's get back to the Palace. I'm starved!" Lana said, walking to the  
warp to the Palace.  
  
"I'm with ya!" Kevin said enthusiastically. "Bye, Doc!" he said waving  
to the scientist.  
  
"Bye, Dr. Right!" Mega Man said, following his friends.  
  
"Bye!" Dr. Right said, waving back.  
  
Lana, Kevin, and Mega Man warped back to the Palace of Power.  
  
  
  
Later that afternoon, the N-Team was having an early dinner. Kevin and  
Lana filled in the others on their adventure in Mega Land.  
  
"I wish I could've been a part of it!" Mega Man said afterwards. He had  
listened to Kevin and Lana's story with great interest, as had Simon, Kid  
Icarus, Gameboy, and even Duke.  
  
Kevin and Lana smiled.  
  
"So, what are we going to do about Mike Vincent?" Simon asked.  
  
"I dunno," Kevin said, shaking his head. "but as long as Mike is here, my  
place is in Videoland."  
  
Lana smiled at Kevin.  
  
Simon sighed. "Oh, I wish Mike would go back home!!!"  
  
Duke, who was eating from his doggie dish on the floor, growled at Simon  
and bit his left leg.  
  
"Yeooooowwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!" Simon screamed, clutching his leg in his  
hands.  
  
Everyone else laughed.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Epilogue  
  
At dusk of that same day, after the sun was out of view and the sky had  
taken on a purple-ish color, Kevin and Lana were standing in the Palace  
courtyard. Kevin was teaching Lana how to use her new Power Pad.  
  
"Press this button to power run!" Kevin said. He indicated one of the  
two red buttons on his Power Pad and then pressed it.  
  
Kevin was gone in a flash. Lana saw his outline moving rapidly. Then, he  
appeared ten meters ahead of her.  
  
"You try it!" Kevin called.  
  
Lana looked down at her Power Pad, pressed the button, and zoomed over to  
Kevin.  
  
"Not bad, huh?" Kevin said jokingly.  
  
"That was fun!" Lana said, excited.  
  
The two of them started laughing.  
  
After they stopped, Kevin became serious. "Lana, would you really have  
killed Mike if he tried to shoot me?"  
  
Lana also became serious. "Yes." she said, then shook her head. "Even  
though I've never killed another human being before, that wouldn't have  
stopped me from pulling that trigger."  
  
Kevin nodded, understanding.  
  
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and then Kevin spoke  
up: "C'mon, let's see if you can jump! You press either the other red  
button or the Up arrow."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------ 


End file.
